


Our Playground

by rinnenotsubasa



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Character Death, Childhood Friends, Gen, Horror, how to say that in english, it's my very first attempt so sorry in advance, side SoonHui, 事故物件
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26232229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/pseuds/rinnenotsubasa
Summary: 35-year-old Wonwoo went back to Tongyeong where he spent a brief part of his childhood, with the hope of reuniting with his childhood friend.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo & Kim Mingyu
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Our Playground

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at writing horror SVT.
> 
> TMI: I’m actually quite a scaredy-cat so I kept glancing behind me as I wrote this.

Wonwoo stood with his mouth agape after having the door slammed in front of his face. He thought he was being a decent 35-year-old adult by ringing the bell only once and waited patiently for minutes to introduce himself to the current owners of the house. After briefly explaining that he used to live here 27 years ago and asking permission to look around for the sake of nostalgia, the current resident--a thin-haired man with sunken eyes that looked like he’s bored to death--simply clicked his tongue and flung the door close. 

Wonwoo left the doorstep and walked across the street, somewhat stunned. He let his feet move in automatic mode and almost missed his second destination in this small town of Tongyeong. The spot where his feet stopped was 100 meters away from the targeted house, and when he twisted his neck, he could see the dormer window protruding on the side of the house. The sight naturally brought a smile upon his lips.

The owner of this house was much more amiable, opening his door with a curious but polite look to a stranger like Wonwoo. When Wonwoo told him that he used to live in this town, the man introduced himself as Junhui and shook his hand. 

Junhui invited Wonwoo in and urged Wonwoo to take a seat in the living room while he stayed behind and put a doorstop to the front door. As Junhui proceeded to the kitchen to get them some tea (he insisted even though Wonwoo tried to politely refuse), Wonwoo was thinking about why Junhui left the entrance open. It was only when Junhui asked him whether he’d also like some ginger cookies that Wonwoo got an idea. Could it be that Junhui was securing an exit? In case Wonwoo turned out to be a serial killer or something. The thought was disheartening but Wonwoo quickly took comfort in the fact that Junhui had invited him inside in the first place.

“Thank you,” said Wonwoo when Junhui returned with a tray. “The owner of my old house was, uhm, less accommodating.”

Junhui finished arranging all the cups and cookie jar on the table before taking a seat on the single sofa across the table. “This isn’t your old house?”

“Oh no, it’s number 20 across the street,” Wonwo explained and saw Junhui opening his mouth slightly to let out a silent acknowledgement. From the look on Junhui’s face it seemed that he could guess what Wonwoo had been through. Maybe Junhui’s neighbor was famous for his attitude. 

“And this was…?” Junhui’s eyes turned curious.

With a small smile, Wonwoo answered. “My friend used to live here. We only knew each other for a year when I was 7 and I tried to mail him after I moved, but he never replied and I moved again and again… life happened and I completely forgot about him for a few years but since I got a chance to visit this town...”

Junhui nodded and replied with a smile too. “People may drift apart but some friends stay in your heart forever… I’m lucky enough to have my childhood friend by my side until now--”

His words were cut off by the sound of what seemed like metal clanking and then crashing to ground.

While Wonwoo tensed up, Junhui didn’t show any sign of surprise in his body language. The latter sighed and continued, “...or maybe I’m unfortunate…” He excused himself with a sincere sorry to Wonwoo and stood up to head for the front door. But before Junhui could take one step, another man plunged himself in through the open door.

“I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up!” The man said frantically. “Please don’t throw them away, I promise I’ll have them moved before sun down.”

Junhui merely waited for the man to walk towards him and let his left cheek be pecked by the other. 

“I promise and--oh, hello?” The man finally noticed Wonwoo’s presence and his eyes widened in a questioning look.

“Soonyoung, this is Wonwoo,” Junhui explained. “He used to live in this town and our house used to be his friend’s.”

“Oh! The Parks? They’re nice people,” Soonyoung chirped. “We only knew them a bit when they sold the house to us but yeah, nice.”

“Actually my friend was a Kim…”

“Maybe it’s the owner before the Park family,” Junhui offered an explanation. “We heard this house had been sold several times. When did you live here?”

“I was seven... so it should be 1994.”

Wonwoo never expected all colors to drain from Junhui and Soonyoung’s face. 

“That’s the--” Soonyoung was about to say something but got stopped by Junhui’s panic glare.

Confused by their reactions, Wonwoo attempted to find out the reason. “Do you know them? The Kims?”

He could see Junhui grabbing Soonyoung’s fingers before answering, “We’ve heard of them.” He looked uncomfortable.

Meanwhile Soonyoung, despite going pale at Wonwoo’s words earlier, had returned to his skittish demeanor. His tone was casual as he said, “They’re actually the reason we got this home so cheap.”

Junhui hit Soonyoung on the right arm but ignored Soonyoung’s cry of pain (which was exaggerated in Wonwoo’s opinion, since Junhui didn’t seem to put much power) and apologized to Wonwoo instead for showing such a scene.

Wonwoo was more concerned about what happened with the Kim family and so he tried to ask, but Junhui seemed eager to move the topic away and tried to engage Wonwoo in a conversation about Tongyeong town in general. 

Just as Wonwoo was about to give up and excuse himself, he heard the sound of a knock. Wonwoo joined the house owners in turning his head towards the entrance and saw an old man standing by the open door. 

“Sorry kids, I just need to drop this and I’ll excuse myself,” the old man said.

“Uncle Jeonghan!”

Both Junhui and Soonyoung seemed to light up at his appearance, trying to assure him that he’s not interrupting and leading him inside.

“Thank you,” Junhui said after receiving an envelope from the old man, Jeonghan. “You should’ve just called us and we’ll go get it.”

It turned out that Jeonghan was a neighbor living on the same street, just a few houses from here. Having a closer look, Wonwoo could see that Jeonghan was at least 30 years older than him, judging by the amount of gray hair and wrinkles. But Jeonghan walked with grace and certainty in his steps, he didn’t seem to have any problem walking several meters. 

Jeonghan waved his hand at Junhui’s words. “I don’t want to interrupt your time with a guest,” he said, glancing at Wonwoo. There’s something familiar with that glance, but Wonwoo didn’t remember knowing any Jeonghan from his days in Tongyeong.

So Wonwoo decided to ask, “Do you happen to live in this area 27 years ago?” He could see Junhui jolted from the corner of his eyes, but kept his focus on Jeonghan.

Jeonghan didn’t seem fazed by Wonwoo’s question and simply replied with a “Yes.”

“I used to live on number 20.” Wonwoo could feel hope filling his chest as he spoke. Jeonghan might tell him what actually happened in 1994. “My friend used to live here. Kim Mingyu. Do you know him?”

Jeonghan’s answer was another short “Yes,” but this time there’s a hint of sadness in his eyes. It planted a seed of fear inside Wonwoo but he just had to know. 

“Do you know where he is now?”

The following silence lasted a few seconds and amplified the dread in Wonwoo’s heart. He didn't feel any better when Jeonghan finally explained.

“He died when he was 9.”

It was like someone had put a hand through his chest and grabbed his heart, crushing it with a grip. Wonwoo had wished for a tearful reunion, and even in his worst scenario he only ended up with Mingyu moving away years ago and not getting any information from the current town residents. Never did he think of Mingyu being gone from this world.

“How?”

“His parents got bankrupt and lost not only their money, but also their sanity.” Jeonghan spoke as if each word hurt him physically. “We couldn’t save him…”

Wonwoo thought he was going to fall down with how his head was spinning. It was difficult to take in all the new information and make sense of them. Soonyoung saying he bought the house cheaply. Jeonghan saying Mingyu’s parents went insane. The blurred image of Mr. and Mrs. Kim’s smiling face in Wonwoo’s memory. The vivid picture of the 8-year-old Mingyu, smiling wide with eyes closed.

Wonwoo didn’t ask Jeonghan any further and the older man seemed to have no intention to tell a longer version of the story. After a few words exchanged with Junhui and Soonyoung, Jeonghan excused himself and went home. He left after giving a quick bow to Wonwoo.

It crossed Wonwoo’s mind that he should excuse himself too, but he felt like he couldn’t just leave like this.

“Can I visit Mingyu’s room in the attic? We used to play there and I just want to remember him…”

Junhui’s “No” was firm. It was a shocking change from his friendly manner earlier, and Soonyoung stepped forward to explain.

“You can’t go there. Every owner of this house knows it.” Soonyoung’s eyes didn’t have the slightest hint of playfulness as he looked straight at Wonwoo. “It’s where it happened.”

Wonwoo dropped his shoulders but he didn’t want to give up. “Please, just for a moment.”

Soonyoung looked like he’s ready to give in to Wonwoo’s plea. However Junhui firmly said, “Stay in front of the door. Do not open it.”

Junhui promptly told Soonyoung to call Jeonghan back and Soonyoung agreed without any complaint. It was lost to Wonwoo as to why they needed Jeonghan here, but he didn’t ask Junhui about it as the latter led him towards the attic. 

They went through the kitchen and into the hall behind it. There were two rooms on the left side and then a staircase at the end. Wonwoo looked up to the row of steps, trying to match it with the one in his memory. He failed because when he was 7 he used to enter Mingyu’s room through the window. He remembered loving to climb up the tree next to this house and finding Mingyu looking out through the glass surface, welcoming him with a wide smile before opening the window.

“Don’t go in,” Junhui said with a finality in his tone. He left the hall after mumbling about getting Jeonghan. It seemed like he couldn’t bear being here any longer.

Left alone, Wonwoo walked towards the stairs with the intention of sending prayers through the closed door. That’s when he saw a small ceramic plate with a vase-shaped incense holder near the bottom of the stairs. There were remains of at least 5 incense, all burn out. Wonwoo briefly wondered if Junhui and Soonyoung put on new ones daily.

When he arrived upstairs he tried to stand still in front of the door, just as he was told to. However a wave of sadness wiped over him and he suddenly felt that he’s missing Mingyu so much. Before he knew it he already had his hands pushing the door, which opened without any resistance.

The room was practically the same as 27 years ago. The small bed, the study desk, the shelf with action figures lining up. Everything was the same, if Wonwoo’s memory didn’t betray him.

He sat on the edge of the tiny bed, gaze down on the floor where he used to play with Mingyu. For a moment Wonwoo’s chest was filled with warmth as he replayed in his head the scene from his childhood. However his reminiscence was interrupted as he recalled the pieces of information from the current residents. The image of him and Mingyu playing was gone, replaced by the thought of “ _ What if it’s the spot where he…?” _

Wonwoo tried to brush the thought out of his mind. There’s nothing good thinking about it. 

As an attempt to clear his head, Wonwoo twisted his torso to look at the window behind him. He recalled the times when he knocked on the glass and Mingyu welcomed him enthusiastically each time, as if they didn’t meet each other almost every day. 

Mingyu would always tell the 7-year-old Wonwoo, “ _ What took you so long? I got bored waiting.”  _ with a jolly voice that didn’t sound the least bit annoyed.

Today, after 27 years, the 35-year-old Wonwoo heard the same line once again, spoken with identical enthusiasm. But it wasn’t a vague sound replayed from the memory inside his head. The voice reached his ears with a rawness that tingled his skin.

“Come on, Wonwoo. Let’s play.”

**Author's Note:**

> I intended on writing something really short, less than 1K. Seems like I don’t know how to anymore.


End file.
